Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-04-30
to argue. orders is orders, and here is a minute

| TO argue, Orders is orders. and here is minute
! and a half gone alTeady,-
Jack seemed 10 come 10 himself at that. He
darted one smile at Inc, and was on IKE shot,
drawing on his coat rs he ran. In less time than
take In telling IL heard the signal of the outgo-
| ing train, land knew that my boy was trusted
1 with a task that was used to be given only TO
! the most Intelligent and careful men in the ser
/ vice.
"They brought him back to me that night sir,
and laid him on his fathers bed; and, by piece
meal, and then afterwards learned wnat had
/ happened that day.
i1he train starting out SO late, they were forced
| to make up time somewhere on the line. So on
/ that long, straight stretch Of track through the
valley, they were making sixty miles an hour.
| The traiG fairly flew. Jack could feel the air
strike his face Ike sharp wind, though 1t was a
! balEy spring day.
Then awful thing happened, The great
connecting rod Of the driving wheel on the right Of
the engine broke. Jack seemed TO live all his life
over III that one terrible instant when he saw the
| end o. ne rod swing upward. 1t struck the cab
| under him and dashed It into thousand pieces,
and he knew no more till horrible agony awoke
| him where had fallen senSeless on the engine.
| Burned and almost blind, with the flesh scaded
] and torn from his hands, he remembered his en-
CINE, with its open throttle leaping on 10 certain
destruction. lie seemed to see The passengers
| inside the long tra1n 50 many times In the OLD
/ days when he called the mOrling papers through
| the ears.
.'Be knew how they looked and what they were
doing, smoking, talking of the elections, the price
| OF grain or how stocks went up last week: women,
Wit Growing, dimped babies In their arms; little
| children Growing TO the windows vainly trying 10
/ count the whfZing telegraph poles; young happy
| people going on wedding Journeys maybe and
otners coming hQme who had been very long
.He remembered that, as he hurried to his place
at the front, that day, little girl with cloud OF
/ golden hair had leaned from a car window 10 give
one more good-by kiss 10 ler father on the plat
form. Take good care OF mamma, dariing he had
heard the gentleman say.
"Ihe fireman-nO coward, either, was Tim Har-
br0oh. With wife and babes at h0m6-let himself
dow GOVT from the tender and escaLed so might my
Jack have done. But he crept along the side OF
! the leaping engine, carefully and painfully he
! swung himself into his place, and with every mo-
ton OF his hands an untold agony, he reversed the
| engine and put on the air brake.
| ''Ihen the train stopped, snatched back fr ON
the puts mouth, and they JOok NY boy from his
post-'faithful and true.'
| lit was long time before Jacks burns were
healed The road people came often to see him
| no men could have been kinder-and every week
/ his wages came In full
But one evening, after he had begun to get out
| little, one OF his mates came In.
| "'What sort of meeting?' said Jack.
| :" on. can't say exactiy-sOIneth hing interest
| ing, they told me, and every body invited
ale stole queer look at me, and ! knew he
wanted me TO help him. SO, as l really thought 1t
| might do Jack good, said:
| " Yes, Jack. go along With Tom
| But I'm not presentabie with this facen
| 'PShaW, man! It's evening, ana nObOdy'n no
| tice. Leastways they need n0t.'
/ with a little more cOaxing, Jack set of with
him had hardly heard the gate click, when the
door opened again, and Jennie Brown came in like
"Qaick! quick! Mrs. Burton! Put ON your
bonnet. she whispered.
i q.
| was frightened.
"'Io the meeting! Hurry, or we shall be too
! later
'she was tying my bonnet strings under my
| chln as she spoke; and she had the house door
| locked and me down the garden path and out of
the back gate fairly without my viii. She hurried
me across the square, and then pushed
! through the crowd around the hall entrance.
| 81 was out Of breath with nervousness and fast
walking. so We sat down in back seat. The
| room was fnl. There were Il great MANY ladies
there. and on the platform sat The superintendent
/ and several OF the directors Of the ROAD. Every
| body seemed 10 be whispering and smiling and
| looking backward TOWARD. the door, ami looked,
! too, ali hotlgh did hot know why.
linen The door opened. and Jack came in with
| Tom. heard somebody on he OsherSide OF me
WhlSper,-'IhatS He, and another and another
and rustic crcpt through the place and then ali
| al once, such cheer went up az. | can truly say
never heard In all my life befOre-nO. not even
when the troops came home from war. The people
STOOD UP, anu The ladies' waved their handher-
chiefs.
'.The superintendent tried to speak, and raped
his little table but all In vain until the crowd
had their three times three.
And through IL all watched my boy He
looked around him, dazed at first by all the tu-
mutt and trying To- see what it meant: wherever
he might turn his eyes he met hundred others
smiling on him, and score OF hands stretched
out 10 hin as he pdssed-and, all at once-he
knew!
80 sir, 1 cannot tell you about It. How they
carried him up TO the front, though not on the
piatform-tbere he would not Co-how they found
Inc out and made Inc sit beside him; how there
were speeches. and hand shakings and laughing
and crying.
..Ard at last the superintendent said that there
was little Child there, the granddaughter OF the
President OF the road, who had been with her
| mother on the train that day, and that she had
been selected by many grateful friends to present
| little token to the man whose faithful courage
had saved so many lives.
Then beautiful lady, all In soft, rusting SILK
came up the aisle, leading the lOvelieSt child |
ever saw with great glory OF golden hair around
her head IKE the picture OF an angel / felt Jack
start for 1t was the very child whose face had
come 10 him in that awful moment en- the flying
engine.
The little thing let go her mothers hand as she
came near. looking up with shy, blue eyes. ami in
her small fingers was purse OF gold. You could
see the great coins shining through the silk net
tinS she heid IL up TO hin, and all the room was
StllI as death. heard one great sob rise in Inv
boys thnOat and hen he lifted the child in his
arms, and stood up. holding her straight ana tall
"Bnt NJ cii not take The purse NO, darling"
| he said. In tow, tender voice, 81 clear that
one ion- eur from her neck
This Is the only gold want he said and
looked at The chiido mother with question in III,
eyes.
The lady nodded and nv boy took out a little
pair oi scissors from his VEST Pocket and cut the
cur! on gently. and plt IL carefully away.
'AnG. sir, ii They had fa'trred before what was
1t now" The arChed ceiac RAM. the rl;-ieIs
Haired and nrkere1. and The very pendants on the
chandeliers dashed together.
"Bnt he would net take the money-tlen nor
afteEwari.
'-It is / OF ours what can we do with IL, We
! cannot throw it away.' the superintendent said
I'm tell you, then sir, said jack at last
| Brakeman Jim Fla3erty was Killed last week He
Ieit sex wife and SIX little children. Give the
money 10 theIn.-
Sand so they did,
"Now you know, Sir, what the scars on nv bovs
race mean 10 me. read in the red marks ssFaitb-
ful and true" and would not have them Changed
Tor the coat OF arms Of any king On any throne,
|